1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to a leader for advancing cabling through conduit, and more particularly to a leader for advancing fish tape through conduit.
2. Description of Related Art
Fish tapes are commonly used to guide cable, wire, or similar material through conduit or the like. A conventional fish tape includes a hardened metal ribbon or tape that is sufficiently resilient to be inserted into one end of a conduit and pushed so that the tape feeds through the conduit. When the end of the fish tape emerges from the opposite end of the conduit, a spool wire or other material that may be too flexible to be pushed through the conduit can be attached to the fish tape. Pulling the fish tape back through the conduit can leave wire extending through the length of the conduit.
Conventionally a leader can be attached to the end of a fish tape that is pushed through the conduit. The leader can include a spring portion that facilitates maneuvering the fish tape through elbows or bends in the conduit when the fish tape is being inserted through the conduit. The leader can also be adapted for attachment of wire or other materials that will be pulled back through the conduit.
As it is necessary to cut leaders off of the fish tape from time to time, efficient systems and methods for attaching a leader to a fish tape are desired. The process used by currently existing systems is one of two methods, both involving heat. The most commonly used method is to place the leader on the fish tape, heat the end of the fish tape with a torch to a red-hot glow, and bend a very tight loop on the end of the tape. If not heated, the tape cannot be bent tight enough to fit inside of the leader without breaking the tape. The second method is to place the leader on the tape and solder the end of the tape, thus creating a stop for the leader to rest against. Both of these systems take a substantial amount of time to install, generally between 10 and 40 minutes depending upon the availability of the tools needed to accomplish these tasks.